‘Pakistan Never Changes Its Afghanistan Policy’

A number of former Afghan diplomats and senior security officials expressed pessimism regarding the meeting of Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) with President Ghani in Kabul on Sunday.

The meeting which was held at the Presidential Palace, the Pakistani delegation promised that Islamabad is ready to cooperate with Kabul in fight against terrorism which is a joint threat and supporting the Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process.

General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s visit to Kabul was considered as a new season of cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, amid rising U.S. pressures on Islamabad regarding the terrorists’ sanctuaries in its soil.

Former Afghan diplomat for Pakistan, Ahmad Sayeedi expressed pessimism regarding Bajwa’s Kabul visit, saying the government should be aware of the move taken by Islamabad and act accordingly.

“Pakistani Chief of Army Staff came to Kabul as result of imposed U.S. pressure on Islamabad, Pakistan will never be ready to cooperate with Afghanistan and we should act carefully,” he said.

Former Minister of State for Reforms in the Security Sector and ex-Spy Chief Amrullah Saleh expressed similar views.

“Pak COAS 2 visit Kabul under US pressure to promise piecemeal action & charge the US a hefty bill or ask concession for terrorists from NUG,” he said in a Twitter post.

Following the matter, some former Afghan military officials criticized Pakistan’s dual policy towards Afghanistan, saying any kind of trust on Islamabad is a “mistake”.

“It is clear that Pakistan will never change its Afghanistan policy; Afghan leaders should act responsibly and not be deceived by Islamabad again,” said Ateequllah Amarkhil.

Pakistan’s COAS Kabul visit comes amid growing U.S. pressures on Islamabad, following Washington’s new South Asia strategy, announced in August.